See Something More

"You know what I think heaven will be like?" my friend asked me as we were walking back to the dorm after going to church together. We had just finished hearing a powerful testimony from a man who found God as the source of His healing and redemption. "I think everyone will get to share their personal testimonies and stories about how awesome God is." I smiled in agreement because we both had been touched by the testimony of the speaker that morning. My mind flashed back to the past Saturday night after dinner when I met with two friends at a coffee shop. For an hour and a half, our entire conversation centered around the Lord and how He had been working in our lives. We shared story after story about how wonderful and faithful He is, even in the most difficult trials. Our time together was full of smiles, laughter, and joy at who God is and what He does. Maybe heaven will be a little bit like that, too, I thought to myself. There is nothing as motivating, ...

This semester I am reading a book by C.J. Mahaney titled Living the Cross Centered Life . With only the introduction and first chapter under my belt, my mind is already thinking about many deep things. I not only recommend the book, but I also want to share with you something that I have been thinking about since I started reading. It is easy for Christians to say, "I know all about the cross. I've got that part of the story down, so it is time for me to move on to deeper and more mature things." But Mahaney points out that we never move beyond the cross, only deeper into it. The more I think about the cross, the more I think about God's grace, which is absolutely and wonderfully free and undeserved . I tried to think of a moment in my life, apart from God's grace, when I felt like I recieved a gift that I did not deserve. I could not think of one thing. Everything from grades to scholarships to gifts to coupons are all things that I have worked for or earned ...

With the start of this new year, many people challenge themselves to read the Bible through in one year, myself included. Being a college student with all kinds of required readings and studies, it is kind of intimidating to look at the readings for every day, knowing that once you get behind, it is even more intimidating to try to catch up. That is why I am challenging myself this year to read 365 key chapers of the Bible. It is only a chapter a day, so you still get the treasures of the Bible - just in smaller portions. These portions are perfect to start or end the day with feasting on God's truth. Whether you have read the entire Bible, wanted to but never finished, or never even tried, I invite you to join me in this year long journey. I know it is already January 20, so we are getting a late start. But I just started last night, so it is a perfect time to jump right in and start the race. If you just read two chapters a day for the next couple of w...

Today was my first day of classes for the spring semester, and I always approach this day with a sense of both excitement and fear. One part of me can't wait to get started with my first round of clinicals, but the other part of me stacks up all the schedules and says there is no way I can do all this . Maybe I just get overwhelmed too easily, but the first day of classes always seems to freak me out. I lay in bed with my head spinning trying to figure out how I am going to take seventeen hours of difficult classes while balancing club stuff, activities, projects, and committments so that I still have time to spend with the people who matter to me the most. But I have been bombarded with this stress every semester, and it always turns out okay. So I have to remind myself over and over that it is not going to be as bad as it seems. I am like the little engine, telling myself, "I think I can...I think I can...I think I can..." as I chug up another hill. The time of the ne...

I couldn't stay away from the window. Although there were others things that I could be doing, I could not make myself take my eyes off the beauty of the gentle snowfall. I sipped hot chocolate and watched those little snowflakes dance and twirl. The window was my big screen television, and I was enjoying the show of a lifetime. Something about snow makes the world turn gentle, pure, and quiet. I love watching the snow pile up on each branch of the trees until the whole forest turns white. I watched little yellow finches and vibrant red cardinals hop on top of the snow and leave their tiny footprints. (Why are birds so much cuter when they play in the snow?) When the sky turned dark, I watched the snowflakes dance in the light from our back deck. Soon, a fresh, soft blanket of snow wrapped everything I could see in it's beauty. "Nature is not primarily functional; it is primarily beautiful." (John and Stasi Eldredge, Captivating .) God, the Creator of each snowfla...

As you stand with your feet in the sand, the gentle waves lick your toes and the salty breeze dances in your hair. Just being so near to the ocean makes you feel the need to be still, to just quietly soak up the sights, sounds, and tastes of the sea. Something about the vastness about the ocean makes you feel small, yet significant. I once heard that the ocean is shallow enough for a child to play, yet deep enough for a whale to swim. The ocean is a fascinating place, and to just pause with your ankles in its waves is enough to create in you a sense of awe. Yet when I stood in the shallows of the shoreline of Hawaii, I also felt a desire to know what lies in the depths. Standing at the shore draws you deeper into the ocean. Ezekiel 47:3-5 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off a...

In Volcanoes National Park on the big island of Hawaii, I stepped foot on a real lava flow. The cooled lava created a unique pattern of swirled gray rock. In some places, I could almost see the lava running when it was red hot. Metallic colors of the rainbow sparkled as they were reflected by the sunlight on the lava. I expected the lava rock to be hard, but it was brittle and porous as I stepped lightly over it. Each footstep made a crunching sound like I was walking on potato chips. The path where the lava had flowed many years ago left a barren wastleland. I tried to picture what that enormous dried lava field had looked like as it swept through the valley, uprooting trees and setting fire to everything is touched. Now, all that was left was a solid blanket of cold, hard, sharp stone. Looking around, the eerie lava field made me feel a little sad.   But then I stopped to look at my feet, and a huge smile spread across my face....

The wind whipped through my hair as I sat on the edge of a motorized raft that zipped across the ocean bay to Molokini island. I was headed with my family to our very first snorkel site. It was two days after Christmas, and it was 80 degrees in Hawaii. With the sun on my face and an occassional wave splahing on my warm skin, I was enjoying this not-so-traditional holiday activity. Suddenly, the boat made a sharp turn off course, taking us away from the island ahead of us where we were going to snorkel. I turned my head, noticing that everyone was looking in that direction as a few of our fellow travelers were pointing to the horizon. In the far distance, I glimpsed a small spray of water in the air - a Hawaiian humpback whale! The boat picked up speed until we reached the spot where the whales were sighted. "Over there!" We all turned our heads just in time to see two gigantic whales wave their tales in the air before slapping them down on the water with a huge splash. ...